Plastic body side moldings are widely used on automobiles, especially to protect against damage from an opening door on an adjacent vehicle. Conveniently, the molding is provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer which is protected by a disposable liner that is removed immediately before adhering the molding to an automobile.
Durable and esthetically pleasing body side moldings may be formed of weather-resistant plastics such as plasticized vinyl chloride polymers which, while resilient, are only moderately flexible. After a period of time, an edge of the molding may lift and loosen if the normal crosswise curvature of its adhesive surface is much different from that of the underlying surface. This tendency may be reduced by a cushioning foam layer in conjunction with the adhesive as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,798 (Kunevicius). As a further safeguard, the patent teaches that the molding may be prestressed and bowed longitudinally to match the typical longitudinal curvature of an automobile.
For protecting a break line, it is customary to form the body side molding to fit the angle of the break. If not perfectly aligned, one face of the molding tends to lift and loosen.
The tendency of body side molding to lift and loosen would be reduced if the molding were more conformable. A molding strip which is indicated to have good conformability is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,787 (Shanok et al.). Its inward-facing surface is formed with a plurality of spaced notches which are said to permit longitudinal folding up to 90.degree.. Another style which has the appearance of some conformability is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,297 (Brooks et al.), especially in FIGS. 5 and 6. Neither of the last two mentioned patents says anything about using the molding on a vehicle.
A body side molding for an automobile formed with a V-notch in its underside is shown in Catalog No. 308 of J. C. Whitney & Co., Chicago, Illinois, at page 37, part No. 15-2667.
Other body side moldings are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,465 (Jackson) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,709 (Swauger).